11/2/10 Louisville, KY It is not New York cold this morning, but chilly. Horses wearing the purple Breeders' Cup saddle cloths circle the track- Paco Boy, Tale Untold- as packs of photographers crowd the rail, then in a rush, head for the gap as Morning Line comes off from his work. Everyone crosses the deep, red dirt track to... Full story »

11/04/10 Louisville, Ky Everything is as is should be this afternoon. Uncle Mo is out of his stall, and looks over at his competition's barn. Boys At tosconova went to the paddock this afternoon to prepare for Saturday's race, and Michelle Nevin says he did great. There is live racing today. From the backstretch, there is no race call... Full story »

11/5/10 Louisville Kentucky Crowds are gathering outside the gates at 11:30, and just inside, women wearing Zenyatta's silks colored dresses hand out DVDs of her 19 races. It is getting busy, busier already than yesterday. On the backstretch it is busy as well. At 1:30, they trumpet the National Anthem, and people slow in what they are doing, take... Full story »

11/6/10 Louisville, Kentucky The barns are no more busy this morning than on any other. The track closed early for workouts since the first race of the day is at 12:30, so more horses are in their stalls or walking under shedrows cooling out than would be at 8:00, giving the area a sense of calm. Police officers have... Full story »

4th race: The crowd has thickened in the padock. The bugler begins to play 'My Old Kentucky Home' then breaks into a riff on the theme. For the second time today they play the National Anthem, and the crowd quiets. When the song finishes, the horses enter out of order: 2, 11, 7, 9... the paddock identifier checks their... Full story »

11th race: 40 minutes to post: The crowd that never left the side of the paddock for the tenth race thickens. People start holding up the signs that TVG handed out this morning, then the homemade ones appear saying 'Girls Rule' and 'Go Z'. Fans lined five deep at the rail are hoping for anything, for just a glimpse,... Full story »

Out on the backside this morning it is business as usual. Horses work on the track, while grooms wash down the ones who have returned to the barns, all soap suds and water. At Barn 41 there is a crowd. The barricades are open, and people are standing next Zenyatta, having pictures taken with this champion of the heart.... Full story »

(Editor's note: Todd Simmons has lived on Staten Island for 20 years and will be blogging for SILive.com through the Kentucky Derby.) The flocks of geese are heading north, and right behind them is Stay Thirsty, Eclipse Award winner Uncle Mo's stable mate and workout partner. The Gotham Stakes is here as spring knocks on the door, and the... Full story »

(Editor's note: Todd Simmons has lived on Staten Island for 20 years and will be blogging for SILive.com through the Kentucky Derby.) Crocuses are poking their heads out of the damp earth underneath algae stained birdbaths and in the lightly grassed areas along driveways and front yards looking for the sun. Spring is on the wind. Out at Aqueduct,... Full story »

When you watch a race on TV, especially one of those TVs that have a wide screen option, then you are tempted to cut from one screen to another to watch a race like the Florida Derby. You hit that button, somehow hoping against hope that the angle will change, the camera's point of view will widen so that the... Full story »

The Resorts World New York Casino Wood Memorial. It is a race re-named this year, from simply the Wood Memorial, to include the name of the sponsor who has raised the purse to one million dollars, a purse that is richer than most of the field. Nine horses face Kentucky Derby favorite Uncle Mo, four to his left in... Full story »

It is a glorious day. High clouds thinly lace the sky as jets wing in over Aqueduct heading to JFK airport, flying over big fields of horses that wheel around the track. For the third race, more than a dozen kids from St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children either stand, or sit in wheelchairs, there in the television area by the paddock,... Full story »

Yesterday, a man who had faced due process and lost, who had served his time for his transgressions, was re-tried, not for a specific instance, but for his record, and judgment was passed. Yesterday the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission denied trainer Richard Dutrow a renewal of his license in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Earlier today, a judge in Kentucky... Full story »

Twenty two horses are pre-entered for the Kentucky Derby, two more than the field's maximum size, and tonight, at five o'clock, the leather beaker will be shaken, numbers drawn, and the field finalized for the 137th Kentucky Derby. Full story »